PollyHiller:HorseCrazy,ThenandNow

by Kate Sanchez

on 01 Dec 2017

It’s a common theme among so many of today’s female horse enthusiasts: the big dreams they had as a little girl, to one day have a horse of their own.

It didn’t have to be a world champion, a horse with the very best breeding, or even be all that pretty, but for dozens of young girls who grow up yearning to own their own horse, the dream never diminishes. This was certainly the case for Polly Hiller of Bellevue, Washington, who was lucky enough to receive that dream animal at a young age, and has been attached to her equine partners ever since.

Growing up, no one in Hiller’s family had interest in horses except herself. At age six or seven, she wanted a pony so badly that she begged her parents every day to make her wish come true. “Anytime my dad would lay down on the floor, I would climb on his back and make him pretend he was a horse”, she says, “I think he finally gave in when he got tired of this little game.” Once she got her horse, which was a pony that they kept in their backyard in a barn built by Hiller’s dad, the passion which she had only ever dreamed of, consumed the young girl. “I spent my summers riding every day in Bridle Trails State Park, usually bareback, and didn’t come home until just before dark”, she fondly recalls. Later in life, Hiller continued on with horses, showing Arabians for a few years but always had her eyes set on the Quarter Horse breed.

With the same laser focus she had as a young girl, Hiller again made her dreams come true when she sought out to become part of the Quarter Horse world. Today, she is involved with the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association, with some of her favorite shows being the Silver Dollar Circuit in Las Vegas, Nevada; the Arizona Sun Circuit in Scottsdale, and the Del Mar shows. While she has shown in a large variety of classes such as Western Pleasure, Western Riding, and Showmanship, Hiller says her focus has become the Trail classes which she “loves”. Currently showing in the Novice Amateur division, she will add the Select classes to her repertoire next year. Hiller’s present show horse, The Original Cowboy, is a nine-year-old red roan gelding, and she describes him as “perfect”. Stressing how quiet-minded he is, Hiller says that “Cowboy” is her “once in a lifetime horse”. She also owns a fourteen-year-old gelding that is retired, and according to her, “spoiled to pieces”.

Hiller rides out of Palm Desert Quarter Horses in Thermal, California, where she keeps “Cowboy”. Although she’s from Washington state, she’s found a fit with that facility and moved her gelding there late in January of this year, under the guidance of Keith McDonough and Mark Jensen. Hiller admits that although she’s a natural worrier, she knows that her trainers take top-notch care of her horse, and says she loves “everything” about owning and showing them. “I love every single thing about being with my horse. I don’t just love to ride him, I love to look at him, brush him, feed him carrots, and just hang out with him”, Hiller says. Additionally, she expresses her passion for attending shows with her friends from the barn she rides at. “We hang out and talk, we go to dinner together, and we laugh a lot”, she shares. She says the most rewarding part of owning and showing horses is the opportunity for constant learning. “There’s always something new to learn”, she adds.

Outside of her horse activities, Hiller takes great pride in her family and being a stay at home mom for several years. She loves doing anything that involves her two sons, both of whom are now grown adults. Her youngest graduated from USC and currently lives in Santa Monica, CA, and her oldest graduated from WSU, is married, and lives in Bellevue, WA. Hiller also enjoys salmon fishing in her spare time.

Polly Hiller was once a little girl with big dreams of owning her own horse. Now as an adult, she gets to live out those dreams every day. From back yard ponies to top-notch show horses, she’s just as horse-crazy as ever!